Fancy

Fancy over Indian River Merritt Island, FL

Saturday, March 10, 2007

1st wk March 07 with Fancy

It's Bike Week in Daytona! 500,000 motorcycles roar in and out of Daytona Beach during this week. My child bride and I contribute to the crazyness by riding our Harley up there. We rode up to the new Harley complex in Ormond Beach just above Daytona on Monday. I couldn't believe the amount of Harleys parked on the 125 acre complex. It was a sea of these beasts all resting on their side stands!

Tuesday I told wifey that I thought I had a date with Fancy this morning and did she want to go along. She didn't. The morning was in the low 60s, the sun was bright, the air clear, and no wind to speak of. Perfect! There she was when I slid the door open just sitting there like our old dog Duke. He woild sit by the door when he knew he was going hunting. I slid the doors open and I think she stepped outside herself because I don't remember exerting any effort to get her on the taxiway. Duke would be down at the corner before my brother and I could get out of the house. There was enough gas and oil and everything seemed to still be hanging on her so I wormed my way into the front seat and gave her a couple of little sips (prime) of gas, flipped the switches to up, and pushed the button that lights her fire. I love it when the engine springs to life!

Fancy wanted to get in her element fast because the takeoff roll was only a few seconds long. We got high together, high enough that we didn't have to talk to any controllers enroute to look down on the Bike Week movements at Daytona and Ormond beach. If you're below 4,000' around Daytona you are under the control of ATC there and you don't get to rome around like we wanted to do. It's not as much fun being that high as it would be at say 1,000 or 1,500 feet and it made the bike spectacle look like less that what it was. The bikers looked like piss ants on the floor from that altitude. It was too early for the parking lot to be full so I could take an aerial shot of the parking lot at the shop in Ormond so I didn't bother with taking a picture. I applied some pressure to the stick to wheel us around (U turn) and aim South for the home field again. 5,500 feet now with the mixture leaned a little we were above the haze and cruising. The speedway and Daytona International looked cool from this altitude as they moved under us. Once we got past the class C airspace we started down more than making up for the time it took us to climb to altitude. Fancy spotted her home field and transitioned from the blazing descent speed of 120 to the lazy 80 we fly the pattern at. The complicated landing check list complete (mixture rich) she was showing off flying downwind, base, and final while I watched to make sure no one ran into us. Glide down over the pine trees and she rares back a little and she's rolling still relaxed and looking cool. I think she smiles when people are watching!

You know, there is probably a law against having this much fun! Don't tell on me.

1 comment:

This is way cool--I get more out of you then I ever do in a simple email. I was flying right there with you. I am sure the wife needed a break at home to be by herself for a few hours--how sweet it is--and I am glad you don't take it personally she does not want to accompany you on every adventure with Fancy. Bike week must be awesome as usual--when you drove the Harley there did you meet anyone to "write home about"?SIS